The present invention relates to an electronic game which includes play of Bingo with the play of a video poker game.
Bingo is a very popular game. In Bingo a player buys a Bingo card which consists of a 5xc3x975 matrix of numbers arranged under columns identified by the letters B-I-N-G-O. A device selects balls each designated by one of the column letters and a number, e.g. B27. If the column letter and number correspond to a number on the player""s card, the player marks the coordinate on the card. The selection of balls continues until a player obtains a winning pattern of marked coordinates on his card. The winning pattern may be a column, row, diagonal, corners or a completely marked card. The player first obtaining the designated winning pattern, is the winner of the game.
Some electronic games which incorporate the principles of Bingo are disclosed in Helm et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,024 and Falciglia U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,798, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
There is also a parlor game known as Pokeno wherein a plurality of playing cards are printed on game cards defining a matrix. At each coordinate of the matrix there is a depiction of a playing card. To play the game, a player selects one or more game cards and cards from a deck of cards are turned over from a deck of cards and are used like balls in Bingo, to select coordinates on the game card matrix to be marked by the player. Again the game may be played by designating the winner as the first player to mark a straight column, diagonal, row, diagonal, corners, a completely filled card or any other predetermined pattern. Playing cards are drawn in succession until a winner is declared.
A drawback with Bingo is that in a game, usually only one player is the winner. Thus, unless that player has a winning card, they lose. This can be frustrating.
It has been known to provide electronic gaming devices wherein a player can make a wager of a credit, tokens or the like and play what is commonly known as video poker. In video poker, the gaming device is provided with a processor which includes a data structure storing data representing each of the fifty-two playing cards of a deck of playing cards, and in some instances where the game includes a wild joker, a fifty-third card representing the aforementioned wild joker. The player makes the wager and prompts the game to randomly select five cards from the data structure and display those cards at a video display to define the initial hand. The player has the option of discarding none, some or all of the cards of the initial hand and receiving replacements for the discarded cards randomly selected from the data structure in an effort to better his hand and produce a final hand. The card combination of the final hand is compared by the processor to a schedule of winning outcomes to determine of the player has a winning or losing outcome. Typically winning outcomes are based upon poker rankings of the final hand.
Video Poker is a very popular game. However, if the player does not obtain a winning hand after several plays, the game can become frustrating. Unless a winning hand is obtained, the player has no opportunity to receive a reward.
There is a need to provide a device and method where a Bingo player has at least one other opportunity, unrelated to his Bingo card, to obtain a winning outcome. Further, it would be advantageous to incorporate the popular and familiar game of Bingo the play of video Poker.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a device and game method wherein a Bingo game can be played which also includes as an adjunct, the play video Poker.
It is another object to provide a device and game method where a player losing their Bingo game card may still be entitled to an award by playing a video Poker game.
Still another object is to provide a device and game wherein a primary Bingo game is played and the adjunct video Poker hand can be played in the traditional fashion.
Accordingly, there is set forth a device and method for playing a video gaming machine which includes the features of Bingo and video Poker which consists of providing a processor to control the play of the game and a display. The processor has a memory storing data corresponding to a display of a matrix of positions, such as a five-by-five matrix, defining a Bingo card. The processor is adapted to assign to each position data representing a Bingo number/letter combination and to each Bingo number/letter drawn during the game of Bingo assign a playing card as it is randomly selected from a deck of playing cards.
The player makes a wager to play the game and prompts play of the game. In response to prompting the processor selects and displays for the player at least one player Bingo card having coordinates with corresponding Bingo numbers assigned to columns denoted as the letters B-I-N-G-O which is conventional to Bingo. The processor also selects at least one virtual Bingo card against which the player will compete. The Bingo number/letters are selected from data representing the universe of available Bingo number/letter combinations. For example, the selection may be animated showing a Bingo hamper containing balls each bearing a number and a letter, e.g. B6. If a concordance exits between the selected ball and a coordinate on the player""s or the virtual Bingo card, the matrix position is marked. At least each matching ball finding a concordance on the player""s card also has assigned to it a playing card which may be used to mark the Bingo card. When either a virtual or player Bingo card obtains a predetermined pattern of marked coordinates the selection of cards is terminated. If any player Bingo card has a predetermined pattern of marks or cards such as a row, column, diagonal, four corners or the like, the player is issued a Bingo award. Further, means are provided for the player to select on a player card a row, column or diagonal having marked coordinate positions and selected playing cards to be used to define a Poker hand. If the Poker hand for the cards of the marked positions in the selected row/column, etc. is of a predetermined holding, the player is issued a Poker award. In determining the holding of the Poker hand, unselected coordinates in the selected row, column or diagonal may be designated as Aces or wild to fill a straight or a flush. As a further feature, the player may be provided with means to discard and replace cards of the selected row, column or diagonal to form a final Poker hand.
Accordingly the player can win a reward by obtaining a winning Bingo pattern in the primary Bingo game or by obtaining a winning Poker hand in the secondary Poker game.
As a further advantage, the player may be provided with the opportunity for activating two or more Bingo cards to enable him to simultaneously play a plurality of Bingo cards and video Poker hands. Thus the player is provided with multiple opportunities to obtain a winning outcome.
A further advantage of the present invention, is that it may be played with any type of video Poker game including those where multiple hands are played such as described in Moody, U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,873, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Where multiple hands are played, the player would obtain more opportunities to mark positions on the Bingo matrix thus increasing their chances for obtaining a reward from the Bingo component and/or Poker component of the game.
Still further, large awards may be offered for outcomes which represent specific combinations of Bingo and Poker outcomes. For example, a player may be offered a large award for obtaining a Royal Flush Poker hand and marking a column, row or the corners of a Bingo card.